We recently sat down with Scott Morrill, owner and head talent buyer at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom and The Other Side in Denver, CO to discuss the music scene, how he got involved in working in the industry, some of his favorite musical moments over the years, and the recent acquisition of Fort Collins venues Hodi’s Half Note and The Aggie Theatre. Colorado has such a vibrant music scene, we wanted to get the inside scoop from someone on the inside.L4LM: What was the show that you saw, as a fan, that gave you that “this is IT” moment?SM: There were several shows that I saw that made me realize I needed to be around music my whole life, but one that comes to mind is a late night show at Jazzfest in 2000 with Soulive at the House of Blues Parish Room. I was with four of my best friends and we had no tickets and it was sold out. We ran into Sam Kininger (former sax player for Soulive/Lettuce) outside the venue and told him we were big fans and didn’t have any tickets. He didn’t know us at all but ended up hooking us up with two tickets and then we found two more out front and were in. It was my first time seeing them live and the energy they had going in that room was ridiculous. We all couldn’t stop smiling and it was one of those moments that I said to myself, “Someday I want to make as many people as possible have this feeling that I’m having.”L4LM: Who were some of your favorite acts growing up?SM: My first concert was Michael Jackson with my parents at Mile High Stadium when I was 7. I, of course, loved Michael Jackson as a kid. But as I got to middle school I listened to all classic rock, the typical artists that everyone passed around – Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Doors, The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Grateful Dead. Then I got to high school and listened to lots of hip-hop. I was a freshman in 1990, so I was listening to Dr Dre, A Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde, Digable Planets, De La Soul, and quite a bit of gangsta rap. I knew all the words to NWA, Ice Cube, Easy E, etc. When I got to college, I started getting into jam and funk. I saw a bunch of Widespread Panic and Phish and then Galactic, Soulive, moe., Yonder Mountain String Band, etc…Soulive “El Ron” Live at Cervantes 8/22/08:[courtesy of MoBoogie]L4LM: How did you get involved in the music industry? What was your first job?SM: I went into commercial real estate out of college and was a financial analyst for five years, but always had music on my mind. I was able to take out a second mortgage on my house to start Cervantes. So my first job was everything, really. I helped with the bar, made the posters, did lights and sound, hospitality for bands, and gradually got into talent buying.L4LM: What are the Top 5 favorite shows that you have booked?SM: Soulive was my first big show I booked the first year Cervantes was open and will always be one of my favorites. After that, there have been so many but a few of my favorites would be Pretty Lights, Greensky Bluegrass, Lettuce and Fruition for my birthday last year was amazing. Those all being at Cervantes. I also book Sonic Bloom Festival and Arise which have definitely been some of my favorite musical experiences with so many different bands. I also would have to say Tipper at Red Rocks for my first official show there as a promoter. That was a very special experience. Hard to pick 5!Tipper w/ Android Jones at Red Rocks 2015:[courtesy of bigeyedphish79]L4LM: A lot of folks don’t see all of the behind the scenes work that goes into putting on even just one show, let alone a full year’s worth of shows to fill a venues calendar. Tell us a little about the process and the team that takes care of it all….SM: The team at Cervantes has grown organically over the years and has become something that we are all very proud of. It’s really more of a family than a team. Each show could be broken down into booking, promotion and production. Our booking team consists of Adam Stroul and myself, who are the head buyers, and Hunter Stevens and Dave Halchak who are assistant buyers. After a show is booked it goes to our Marketing Director Diana Azab, who wears several hats and is assisted by Cris Bachman and Jamie Jay. They make sure the show is properly promoted through every outlet possible. Then when it comes down to executing the show, we have our Production Manager, Trent Hufford, handle all the logistics and our General Manager, Matt Greer, there to handle day of show communication and settlements with the band. I feel very fortunate to have a staff who cares so much about Cervantes.L4LM: There is a pretty happening scene in the greater Denver area, and out in Colorado, in general. What do you attribute that to?SM: Well, I think the scene continues to get better each year because we have more and more music lovers moving to Colorado. Colorado offers so many things that are very attractive to twenty-somethings that have just graduated college, or looking for a change from their current environment. Now that we have a reputation for having one of the best music scenes in the country, it is only going to get better. Musicians and fans want to live somewhere they can thrive and Colorado is arguably the best in the nation.L4LM: Cervantes recently purchased The Aggie Theatre and Hodi’s Half Note up in Fort Collins, aka “Fort Fun”, in the last year or so. Fort Collins is a beautiful town, and home to Colorado State University. How important was that acquisition on your end?I think it was a very important acquisition. It allows us to offer bands another market to play when they are routing through Colorado. I think it’s very important for bands to play different markets when they come through Colorado to expose themselves to as many fans as possible. This will only help them grow their overall Colorado fan base to someday play bigger venues in the state such as Red Rocks.Sonic Bloom 2016 Recap:[courtesy of Electronic Colorado]L4LM: Do you think there is over-saturation of the market right now? It seems like there is almost too many shows to choose from. Is that a good or bad thing?SM: I think that as long as the vast majority of the shows are successful that it isn’t over-saturated. It is pretty amazing how many shows we can have in this state compared to ten years ago, or even five years ago. I think the variety of shows to choose from contributes to our music scene and makes it more attractive for fans and musicians to move here. Hopefully the fans can keep up with all the new venues and shows. There is only one way to find out!L4LM: What upcoming shows at Cervantes/Aggie/Hodi’s are you most excited for?SM: So many great shows coming up! Check out Cervantes and Aggie websites for all upcoming shows. We are having Moon Taxi for the first time at The Aggie on Dec. 1st and Cervantes on Dec. 2nd and 3rd the latter of which are dual room shows with Joey Porter’s Shady Business on The Other Side. The Marcus King Band plays Hodi’s Half Note on Nov. 30th. The Travelin’ McCourys are coming through for a run of shows and doing Aggie on Dec. 8th and Cervantes on De.c 10th. Elephant Revival are playing Aggie on Dec. 9th and they are a band that I go way back with and played, I think, their first gig in Denver at Cervantes opening for Railroad Earth back in the day. New Years will be awesome too with Stick Figure in the Ballroom and DeadPhish Orchestra w/ Cycles in The Other Side.L4LM: Thanks so much for sharing with us, Scott. We’ll see you out at Cervantes soon!For information and upcoming shows at Cervantes/Other Side, click here.For information and upcoming shows at The Aggie Theatre, click here.For information and upcoming shows at Hodi’s Half Note, click here.
Time is relative. Not only in Einstein’s theory but in cultural terms, as well. As “Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia,” a special exhibit at the Harvard Art Museums, illustrates, time may be seen as cyclical — divided into seasons, each with their practical and ceremonial markers — or as a continuous present, in which past and future both play necessary roles.The exhibit progresses through rooms focusing on seasonality, transformation, performance, and remembrance. Consisting primarily of pieces done since 1970 — fitting the Western definition of “contemporary art” — it includes paintings made with acrylic and canvas as well as traditionally sourced ochre and bark, along with text, photographs, and cultural objects such as coolamons (carrying vessels). This allows for the juxtaposition of such pieces as Tom Djawa’s ochre-on-bark “The Burala Rite,” which uses the traditional colors of yellow, white, red, and black, with the stark textual installation of Vernon Ah Kee’s “many lies.”Dorothy Napangardi, “Karntakurlangu Jukurrpa,” 2002. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas. Collection of Margaret Levi and Robert Kaplan; promised gift to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. © estate of the artist, licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd.Such placement is central to the concept behind the exhibit. With 40,000 years of their own history, the indigenous peoples of Australia view the rise of European cultures — and their colonization of the continent — as merely a blip. Too often, however, it has overshadowed a rich and thriving culture.“The idea of time really came as a kind of corrective to this idea that there is this category of indigenous art that exists as the primitive,” said guest curator Stephen Gilchrist, a member of the Yamatji people of the Inggarda language group of Western Australia. Citing such common usages as “pre-Colombian” and “Indian ruins,” he noted that too often the creations of indigenous peoples are dismissed as anthropological curiosities, rather than art.“We also have a claim to the present and the past and the future,” said Gilchrist. “Colonization is not the meta-narrative of indigeneity.”Indeed, said Gilchrist, indigenous people have long supported concepts that are only now being recognized by Euro-centric civilizations, including local and political ecologies and the interconnectedness of life on earth. “There’s an active social agenda to many of these works,” said Gilchrist, referencing the need to make space for alternative narratives. In this way, he said, the struggles of indigenous peoples mirror the efforts of such movements as feminism and Black Lives Matter.“The idea of time really came as a kind of corrective to this idea that there is this category of indigenous art that exists as the primitive,” said guest curator Stephen Gilchrist. Photo by Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff PhotographerEven the assembly of the exhibition served as an eye-opener. Narayan Khandekar, a senior conservation scientist and director of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, traveled with Gilchrist to several regional art centers: Waringarri in Kununurra in Western Australia, Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in Yirrkala, and Tiwi Designs on Bathurst Island, part of the Tiwi Islands.“It was great to see the process from the very beginning,” said the conservator. “From the collecting of the ochre to seeing how the ochre is prepared to how the artists use different binding media.” (Under Khandekar’s direction, the Straus Center has launched a large-scale technical examination of indigenous Australian bark paintings.)Ronnie Tjampitjinpa, “Two Women Dreaming,” 1990. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1991, 91.86. © the artist licensed by Aboriginal Artists Agency Ltd.Even the distances covered helped the conservator understand the difference in perspective. “When Stephen and I went traveling to art centers I realized that what we call remote is only from our point of view, living in cities. We’re coming from a remote place to them,” said Khandekar.“The combination of art and politics is a really fascinating and heady mix,” added Gilchrist. “I think what people respond to with indigenous art is that it’s free from irony. It’s from this deeply felt place of belonging and thinking about history. It has a basis in truth.”“Everywhen: The Eternal Present in Indigenous Art from Australia” is on view Feb. 5-Sept. 18 at the Special Exhibitions Gallery, Harvard Art Museums. A conversation with curator Stephen Gilchrist and artist Vernon Ah Kee will take place in Menschel Hall on the lower level on Thursday, Feb. 4. Before the talk begins at 6 p.m., visitors will have an opportunity to view the exhibition. The museums will also remain open after the discussion; lecture attendees are invited to return to the galleries as well as enjoy a reception in the Calderwood Courtyard. Admission is free but tickets for the lecture are required. Tickets (limit two per person) will be distributed after 5 p.m. on the lower level on a first-come, first-served basis. The lecture hall doors open at 5:30 p.m.Vernon Ah Kee Installation Timelapse <a href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vmQIhsBmSI” rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank”> <img src=”https://img.youtube.com/vi/1vmQIhsBmSI/0.jpg” alt=”0″ title=”How To Choose The Correct Channel Type For Your Video Content ” /> </a>
Emanuele Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle scored as Italy began their Euro 2016 campaign with victory over much-fancied Belgium in Lyon.Sunderland’s Giaccherini slotted home in the first half after collecting Leonardo Bonucci’s superb long pass.Southampton’s Pelle sealed the win in injury time with an emphatic finish following an incisive break.Belgium were very disappointing, with Romelu Lukaku and Divock Origi wasteful in front of goal.Everton forward Lukaku curled over from the edge of the box with just the keeper to beat while Liverpool’s Origi missed two opportunities to head his side level. Before the tournament, some pundits had condemned this Italy squad for a lack of quality, and even coach Antonio Conte said: “It isn’t a good time for our football.”The soon-to-be-Chelsea boss added: “It’s important the squad has a good spirit. I work a lot at this.” On the evidence of this game, that is not the only thing he has worked at.Italy’s triumph was a result to superior organisation and discipline against 11 Belgian individuals who posses, on paper at least, the greater talent.Before the tournament, this looked to be the toughest fixture for both sides, who now face games against the Republic of Ireland and Sweden, who drew 1-1 earlier.With 16 of 24 teams progressing from the group stage, Italy have already taken a huge step towards progressing.Italy have won this competition once, in 1968, and finished runners-up twice – the most recent of which was in 2012 when they were demolished 4-0 by Spain in the final.While the current Azzurri side were unbeaten in qualifying, winning seven of their 10 matches, they compare unfavourably with the side of four years ago, lacking the calm, creative brilliance of Andrea Pirlo in midfield and an attacking spearhead to adequately replace a faded Mario Balotelli.What they do have, though, is a meticulous and tactically-astute coach in the Chelsea-bound Conte and a stubborn Juventus-centric defence.Such a foundation allowed them to limit and frustrate Belgium, leaving them vulnerable to one piece of ruthless counter-attacking brilliance, which is exactly what Bonucci’s 50-yard, defence-splitting pass and Giaccherini’s cool finish provided.The second half would have been more comfortable for Italy had a second goal been scored from an unmarked position by Pelle, who also had a second header saved by Thibaut Courtois after the break.However, the Old Lady’s imperious rearguard held firm before Pelle was on hand to volley the ball in following a break and neat chipped cross from Antonio Candreva.Despite having only qualified for one major tournament in the last 14 years, Belgium came to France as Europe’s top-ranked side and one of the favourites to triumph in Paris on 10 July.Their status is built around the attacking potential and club-forged reputation of individuals like Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Lukaku, as opposed to consistent evidence of a cohesive international team.However, the Red Devils did little to suggest they are ready to convert this promise into something concrete on the big stage.They were pedestrian in the first half, failing to get in behind the Italian backline, with De Bruyne particularly isolated.They upped the speed after the break but still struggled to test Gianluigi Buffon, with Lukaku curling over a good chance and substitute Origi spurning two glorious headed opportunities.Equally as worrying for Belgium is the performance of their defence.Already without the injured Vincent Kompany, they looked particularly vulnerable with Jan Vertonghen deployed at left-back instead of alongside his Tottenham colleague Toby Alderweireld at centre-half.Share this:FacebookRedditTwitterPrintPinterestEmailWhatsAppSkypeLinkedInTumblrPocketTelegram